Jet discharging apparatus



JUEY mi w39 F, K. SPARLING ET Am. 2,165,908

JET DISCHARGING APPARATUS m Filed Aug. 1,6, 1938 Y mfr: mf.

mmm; mmmm Patented July 11, 1939 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE JE'I DISCHARGING APPARATUS Application August 16, 1938, Serial No. 225,160

12 Claims.

The subject matter of the present invention provides an apparatus for delivering `a jet of gas or charged liquid into the mouth of a bottle or other container substantially filled with a cart bonated beverage for the purpose of expelling air from the mouth of the container. In iilling bottles, cans, etc., With beer, other malt liquors, and other carbonated beverages, the liquid is introduced at a low temperature and in a manner 1:0 which substantially avoids foaming, and the containers are not filled comprising to the mouth. Instead the containers are designedly made with slightly larger capacity than the quantity of the liquid they are designed to hold in order to proi5 vide an expansion space large enough to permit expansion of the liquid under the highest temn peratures to Which they are normally subjected without endangering the integrity of the container or its seal. But before the containers are im sealed, the air must be removed in large measure from the expansion space. This is particularly important in the case of beer and other malt beverages, for air in Contact with the beer, etc., causes rapid deterioration of the quality and llavor of the beer. An amount of air suflicient to lill the expansion space of the standard bottle or can will make beer unacceptable to consumers in two or three Weeks, but when the air content is reduced to 4 cubic centimeters or less no appreciable deterioration occurs Within periods of many months.`

The simplest and mosteffective Way of getting rid of this air is to squirt a jet of carbon dioxide gas or a jet of the same carbonated liquid into 3,-) the mouth of the bottle, suitably regulated as to pressure and quantity so as to create a foam sufiicient to rise and overflow the mouth of the bottle. Such foam, of which the bubbles are filled with carbon dioxide, displaces the residual air in l n the bottle neck and for some distance above it;

and persists for an appreciable time, long enough `for the application and securing of a cap or cover and-seal. v

Our object has been to furnish a device by 5,1 which such a jet of carbonated liquid or gas alone may be delivered in a quantity and With force enough to produce sufficient foam for the purpose, but not so much as to Waste the liquor and deplete the container; a device which can be 5.o Operated automatically by bottles carried beneath it on a traveling conveyor and may be adjusted to regulate the duration of delivery and volume of fluid delivered While each bottle passes; and

to provide operating means so light and easy of 55 operation that they may be actuated by the mouth of a bottle resting by its own weight only, and unsupported otherwise against tipping over, on the conveyer. The means by which these and other related objects are carried out constitute the invention and are explained in the following 5. description with relation to a preferred embodiment of such invention. It is to be understood that the illustrative embodiment is not exclusive or limiting of the scope of the invention, and that various changes and modifications may be l0 made within the scope of the protection hereinafter claimed,

In the following description the invention will be described in terms of its use for dealing With beer and bottles containing beer; and it is to be IS understood that the references to beer contained in such description typify and apply equally to all other carbonated beverages, Whether such are malt liquors or so called soft drinks; and that the term bottle typies and is a generic term 2c including all other containers such as metallic cans.

In the drawing furnished herewith,-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view as seen from the back, of a jet delivering apparatus in operative 25 relation to a bottle conveyer, the combination of such delivering apparatus and conveyer being one phase of the invention;

Fig. 2 a longitudinal sectional view of the jet delivering apparatus alone, such apparatus being 30 one embodiment of another phase of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the delivering device taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail cross sections taken 35 on lines -I and 5 5 respectively of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation showing Vthe invention with a modification in the valve operating means adapted for use with Wide mouthed cans.

Like reference characters designate the same parts Wherever they occur in all the figures.

The form of the jet delivering device here shown comprises a main casing Il) of cylindrical shape (although its external form is not important) having a central longitudinal bore or passage and made sufliciently massive and with sufliciently thick Walls to be rigid. A bushing I I is contained in the passage of the casing, occupying a large proportion of its length, and is furnished with screw threads I2 and a prismatic iiange I3 at one end vby which it is screwed intoa complementally threaded tapping in the upper end of the casing. A nozzle I4 is screwed into the lower end-of the casing.` The ends of the bushing and nozzle almost, but not quite, meet and are separated by a space l5, the purpose of which will be later explained. The bushing has a longitudinal bore in which is slidingly fitted a needle valve I6, and the nozzle is arranged with its passageway in alinement with the bore of the bushing so that the tapered end of the needle valve is enabled to close tightly against a seat I1 in the nozzle. There is a space I8 in the nozzle above the seat of larger diameter than the valve, while below the seat the passage I9 is of smaller diameter and tapers to an orifice 20 of the correct dimensions for emitting a jet of the desired diameter and volume.

The bushing |3 is of massive formation and fits closely within the casing, whereby it is supported and protected from injury. Its bore is made accurately with reference to the needle valve rod so that the latter will slide freely therein, and yet tclosely enough to prevent .any appreciable or objectionablel leakage of liquids or gases which may be delivered under pressure into the casing. A considerable length in common is given the valve and bushing (approximately four inches in the device chosen for illustration) whereby the dual objects of freedom to slide and substantial sealing against leakage are accomplished.

`The needle valve extends upward from the bushing and its upper end is enlarged and threaded to enter a threaded passageway in a yoke 2|, which is connected by a pivot 22 to a cross bar 23. The threaded connection between the yoke and valve permits adjustment of the latter, and a lock nut 24 is provided to secure such adjustments.

Parallel longitudinal ribs 25 and 26 project from opposite sides of the casing, and are extended above the upper end thereof as separated lugs 21 and 28 respectively. The spaces embraced by the pairs of lugs are alined at opposite sides of the valve and are Wide enough to receive the cross barr23 with freedom for unimpeded movement. Levers 29 and 30 are hung by pivots 3| and 32 between the lugs 21 and 28 respectively. Lever 29 has a horizontally projecting arm 33 underlying one end or arm of the cross bar, and a long pendent arm 34 in the space between the ribs 25 which extends beyond the lower end of the casing and is equipped with converging cam or wedge faces V35, 36, of which the direction and point of convergence face toward the lineof the jet orice 20. The oppositely disposed lever 30 has a similar and symmetrically arranged horizontal arm 31, pendent arm 38 and Vcam or wedging surfaces 39 and 40. The point of convergence 4| between the wedging faces of one pendent arm is separated from the corresponding point or apex 42 of the oppositearm by a distance less than the outside diameter rof the mouth of a standard beer bottle, and they` are equally distant from the jet line when in'normal position, (the position in which such arms abut against the sides of the casing). The more remote points of the wedging surfaces on opposite arms are separated widely enough to admit between them the mouth of a bottle traveling in a horizontal path perpendicular to the line Abetween the points 4| and 42not. only when the bottle is centered with respectjto the jet orifice, but also when it is at either side of the centered position within limits which permit a jet to enter its mouth when passing under the orifice.

A loop or bow 43 is mounted in each pair of ribs 25 .and 26 so as to embrace the adjacent lever arm 34 or 38 when swinging outwardly, and limit the outward swing thereof. A spring 44 is connected to each of these bows and to a hook 45 on one of the ends of the cross bar. Such springs tend to supplement gravity, when the apparatus is in its operating (upright) position, in urging the valve toward closed position against the pressure of the uid in the casing acting with opening tendency on the end area of the valve overlapping the valve seat.

An inlet port 46 is formed through the casing wall at one side and is screw threaded to receive a pipe fitting 41 for conduction of liquid or gas. The iitting here shown illustratively is .a throttling and shut-off valve, but it typies any means by which a pipe line 48 (see Fig. 1) may be connected to the casing.

The valve bushing |3 has an encircling groove 48| in its side at the same level as the port 46, and a longitudinal groove 49 extends thence to the lower end of the bushing opening into the space l5. The grooves 48|, 49, space l5 and chamber I8 form a continuous passageway leading from the inlet port of the casing to the outlet orifice of the nozzle, which passageway is obstructed by the needle valve when in closed position. Space l5 is Wide enough to make the area between the end of the groove 49 and the nozzle at least as large as the transverse area of this groove.

The jet emitting apparatus above described is used in combination with a conveyer 50 by which bottles 5| are conducted from a filling station to a capping or sealing station. Such conveyer may be supported and propelled by any suitable means well known to mechanics and not necessary to be shown here. The jet emitting device is suitably supported so that the extremities of its lever arms 34 and 38 are at the height of the bottle mouths and on opposite sides of the middle line of the normal path of the bottles propelled by the conveyer. It may be supported, as here shown, by the pipe 48 which conducts fluid to it, which in turnv is held by a bracket 52 on any desired supporting structure; or it may be mounted otherwise according to the conditions of a particular situation and the will of the designer.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that when bottles filled to the normal lling level with beer are propelled by the conveyer under the jet nozzle, their upper ends pass between the inclined surfaces 35 and 39 as shown by Fig. 4 and, by forcing these surfaces apart, swing the pendent lever arms outward and raise the horizontal arms 33 and 31, thereby raising the cross arm 23 and opening the valve. This enables the beer supplied under pressure by the pipe line 48 to issue from the nozzle. A ne jet of beer is thus discharged at high velocity, which enters the bottle mouth beneath it, penetrates to a considerable depth into the beer within the bottle, and agitates the beer so that a foam develops which rises through the bottle neck and passes out of the mouth. While the foam persists the bottle is capped and sealed. Thereafter the foam subsides, but only carbon dioxide gas with little or no air is then left in the expansion space of the bottle.

An important feature of the invention is the combination of levers by which the valve is controlled. The pendent arms hang substantially vertically when the device is in operating position and are long in comparison with the horizontal arms 33 and' 31. Hence their own weight offers no appreciable resistance to their'outward movement, and their leverage overcomes so much of the weight of the valve and cross bar and the resistance of the springs. 44 as is not balanced by the fluid pressure on the end of the needle valve, in response to a force of very small magnitude. In fact the force exerted by the upper end of a lled beer bottle carried along by the conveyer and having no greater stability'than that due to its own weight and no propulsive force greater than that due to its frictional engagement with the conveyer is more than sufficient to operate the linkage. The symmetrical arrangement of the two pendent arms causes the reactions between both arms and the bottle to be balanced; but if a bottle should chance to be placed at one side ofthe center of its intended path, so that it engages only one of the arms, it will operate the valve. In such case the arm which is moved lifts the end of the cross bar which it engages higher than that encl is raised when both levers are moved equally, tilting the lever about its point of engagement with the stationary arm as a fulcrum and raises the valve equally. The adjustment provided between the valve stem and the yoke 2l enables the valve to` be closed and the backlash between the operating levers and cross arms to be made any desired amount.

By setting the adjusting means so as to raise the cross bar 23 above the arms 33 or 31 when the pendent arms are in their innermost positions, a greater or less amount of lost motion is permitted to the operating levers when a bottle passes between them before the valve is unseated. Thus both the extent of opening movement of the valve and the time during which the valve remains open, (assuming that the bottles are propelled at a denite and uniform rate, which is the case), may be varied. The pressure under which carbonated liquid or gas is supplied to the jet nozzlermay be regulated by the throttling valve el, in case it is desired to use less than the full pressure under which the liquid for jetting purposes is provided. We are able by appropriate regulation of these adjusting means to agitate the liquid in th-e bottle below the level of the liquid and cause rise of foam from beneath the surface in such quantity and at such a rate as to ll the neck of the bottle and rise to the mouth thereof, but without causing substantial overflow, when the bottle reaches the capping or sealing machine. The commercial equipment with which our jetter is used includes bottling means and capping or sealing means, and the conveyer is arranged to transfer bottles from the fillter to the jetter and thence to the capper in a continuous progression. The pressure and quantity of liquid delivered by the jetter are regulated in the manner defined so as to displace substantially all of the air in the bottle neck in the time required thus to transport the bottles from the jetter to the capper.

The passageway formed by the grooves 48| and 43 is purposely made small in area, preferably as small as it may be and at the same time maintain a suicient pressure at the nozzle orifice to deliver a high velocity jet. It is closed or partitioned off from the valve rod so that the liquid comes into contact with the valve only at points close to the outlet. This is done to prevent foaming of the jet. It has been found in the use of devices of this class wherein an extended contact `of the liquid with the` valve occurs, that. the

jet issues in a broken foamy condition, so that it fails to penetrate into the liquid in the bottle and cause a foam to rise therefrom, but rather fills the bottle neck from above and entraps air, but with the arrangementshown, the liquid, although heavily charged with carbon dioxide, issues in: a stream which remains substantially unbroken before it strikes the liquid in the bottle.

The provision of two oppositely inclined faces on each pendent lever arm enables the same jetting device to be used with either of its opposite sides facing against the direction of travel of the bottles. It is not necessary, however, that these faces be plane surfaces or meet at a sharp angle as shown. Obviously they may be curved and merge into one another with a more or less gradual or abrupt curvature. The operation and effects are substantially the same asV above described Vif carbon dioxide alone instead of charged liquid is supplied to the jetting device, and the device may equally well be used in that way.

Jetting devices embodying the invention are applicable with or without immaterial changes for delivering jets of fluid, either liquid or gasecus, to bottles whether made of glass, metal (commonly referred to as cans) or of other materials; and whether with contracted or wide mouths. Fig. 6 shows illustratively a modification of the design applicable for use with wide mouthed metal bottles (cans). ends of the lever arms 34a and 38a (corresponding to the arms 34 and 38 respectively) are offset outwardly so as to admit the upper end of a wide mouthed open can 53 between them. Otherwise the arms and the rest of the device are constructed as previously described and operated the same Way.

What we claim and desire to secure 'oy Letters Patent is:

1. A jet delivering device consisting of a casing having a flow passage through it with an inlet at one end of such passage and a jet orifice at the opposite end thereof, a valve seat surrounding a portion of said passage, a valve mounted in the casing with provision for movement endwise into engagement with, and away from, said valve seat, a cross arm connected to said valve and an operating lever pivoted to the casing having a short arm adjacent to said cross arm and a long arm terminating adjacent to the jet line of the orifice, the parts being so arranged that when said long arm is moved away from the jet line said short arm is caused to bear on said cross arm and displace the valve from the valve seat.

2. A jet delivering device comprising a casing adapted to be placed in an upright position for use, having a through passage which is then substantially vertical, a bushing contained in said passage and extending throughout the greater part of the length thereof from the upper end, a nozzle secured in the lower end of the casing passage, said bushing and nozzle having alined bores and being separated from one another by a space from which the bore in the nozzle opens, the nozzle bore terminating in a restricted orice and having a valve seat between its ends, a needle valve tted to slide in the bushing bore and having a tapered lower end arranged to close against said valve seat, the upper end of the valve protruding from the upper end of said bushing, a cross arm pivotally connected to the protruding end of the valve and extending to. opposite sides therefrom, angle levers pivoted to opposite sides of the casing beneath the cross` arm each having a, lateral arm underlying one end portionr of Here the lower the cross arm and a pendent arm terminating at a level below the nozzle orice, said pendent arms having wedge surfaces on their lower extremities facing inward toward one another.

3. A jet delivering device comprising a casing adapted to be placed in an upright position for use, having' a through passage which is then substantially vertical, a bushing contained in said passage and extending throughout the greater part of the length thereof from the upper end, a nozzle secured in the lower end of the casing passage, said bushing and nozzle having alined bores and being separated from one another by a space from which the bore in the nozzle opens, the casing having an inlet in fiow communication with said space, the nozzle bore terminating in a restricted orifice and having a valve seat between its ends, a needle valve fitted to slide in the bushing bore and having a tapered lower end arranged to close against said valve seat, the upper end of the valve protruding from the upper end of said bushing, a cross arm pivotally connected to the protruding end of the valve and extending to opposite sides therefrom, angle levers pivoted to opposite sides of the casing beneath the cross arm, each having a lateral arm underlying one end portion of the cross arm and a pendent arm terminating at a level below the nozzle orifice, said pendent arms having wedge surfaces on their lower extremities facing inward toward one another.

4. A jet delivering device comprising a casing having a through bore, a bushing extending through the major part of the length of said bore from one end, said bushing having an internal bore throughout its length and an external channel through part of its length terminating at its inner end, the casing having an inlet port communicating with said channel, a nozzle set into the end of the casing bore opposite to the bushing, spaced apart at its inner end from the adjacent end of the bushing and having a bore in alinement with the bore of the bushing terminating in a restricted discharge nozzle and including a valve seat between its ends, a valve rod fitted slidingly in the bore of the bushing protruding therefrom at its outer end and having a tapered inner end arranged to bear against the seat in the nozzle, and means for moving the valve rod endwise.

5. A jet delivering device comprising a casing having a through bore, a bushing jextending through the major part of the length of said bore from on-e end, said bushing having an internal bore throughout its length and an external channel through part of its length terminating at its inner end, the casing having an inlet port communicating with said channel, a nozzle set into the end of the casing bore opposite to the bushing, spaced apart at its inner end from the adjacent end of the bushing and having a bore in alinement with the bore of the bushing terminating in a restricted discharge nozzle and including a valve seat between its ends, a valve rod tted slidingly in the bore of the bushing'protruding therefrom at its outer end and having a tapered inner end arranged to bear against the seat in the nozzle, and levers pivoted to the casing at opposite sides of the protruding portion of the valve rod, having arms extending beside the casing terminating beyond the nozzle and having wedging surfaces on their inner sides at opposite sides of the space adjacent to the nozzle, said levers each having an outwardly projecting arm, and a cross bar 757 pivotally connected to the valve rod extending in opposite directions therefrom over the outwardly projecting arms of both levers.

6. A jet delivering apparatus comprising a casing having a nozzle with a jet orifice and a seat back from said orifice, a valve rod mounted to slide in the casing and having a seating end formed to make liquid-tight contact with said valve seat, the casing being formed with an inlet and an internal passage leading from said inlet to said valve seat and closed off from said valve rod except in the part nearly adjacent to said seat, whereby to prevent agitation by the valve rod of liquid passing to the seat.

'7. A jet delivering device comprising a casing having a nozzle with a discharge oriiice, a valve seat adjacent to said oriiice, an inlet, and a flow passage leading to said valve seat, a valve rod passing through the casing to said valve seat movable into and out of closing engagement therewith, the casing including means surrounding the valve rod with a substantially leakagetight sliding iit between the latter and the flow passage from a point near the valve seat and eX- tending thence for a distance sufficient to substantially prevent leakage of iiuid under pressure around the valve rod.

8. A jet delivering apparatus comprising a supporting structure, a nozzle held immovably by said structure, means for conducting fluid under pressiu'e to such nozzle, a valve normally closing the passage through the nozzle, and means comprising pendent arms extending below the nozzle on relatively opposite sides of the emission line thereof in position to be spread apart by the open end of a bottle passing beneath such nozzle for opening the valve.

9. An apparatus for injecting a jet of liquid or gas under pressure into the mouth of a bottle comprising the combination with a conveyer adapted to transport such a bottle in a prescribed path, of a jet delivering device supported immovably over such path and having a jet oriiice directed downwardly, an operating lever pivotally supported adjacent to the jet delivering device having a pendent arm with a portion located in position to be engaged and laterally displaced by a part of a bottle on the conveyer in the course of passage of such bottle under said orifice, the lever having also an arm shorter than the distance between the pivot axis of the lever and said bottle engaging portion, a valve arranged to close and open said orifice, and means operated by said short arm for opening the valve when said bottle engaging portion is so displaced.

10. A jet delivering device comprising a casing having an inlet at its side and a jet orice at one end in communication with said inlet and a valve seat within the orifice, a valve rod in sliding and substantially fluid-tight contact with the casing, of larger diameter than said valve seat, extending toward, and movable into and out of contact at its end with the valve seat across the communication between the jet orice and the inlet, the extremity of the valve rod having an area exposed to pressure endwise of the valve by fluid under pressure entering said inlet, whereby the pressure of the iiuid tends to open the valve, and means operable by a bottle passing across the line of said orifice for opening the valve when the bottle is alined with the orifice.

11. A jet delivering device comprising a casing having an internal bore with a restricted oriiice at one end and a valve seat of smaller diameter than the major portion of said bore adjacent to the orifice, a valve rod fitted slidingly and substantially fluid-tight in said bore having a reduced extremity adapted to close in liquidtight contact with said valve seat, and a separate liquid passage extending through the casing into communication with said bore at a point close to said valve seat.

12. A jet delivering device comprising a casing having an inlet and a jet orce in communication, a valve for closing and opening said orice exposed to liquid passing through said communication in a manner such that pressure of the liquid tends to open the valve, and mechanical valve opening means including terminals at opposite sides of the line of jet discharge from said nozzle adapted to be engaged and moved apart from one another by a bottle passing across said line of jet discharge, said Valve opening means being coupled with the valve to open the same when said terminals are so moved.

FRANK K. SPARLING. WILLIAM D. SPARLING. ARCHIBALD E. SPARLING. 

